Gabriel

Gabriel was growing at an astronomical rate... but not in the way of the vast majority of his siblings, while they grew taller, Gabriel seemed to want to grow more lengthy. He was losing that puppy fur and his first coat was beginning to come in. His dual gaze was beginning to grow near apathetic, loosing that puppy-like innocence and joy he once possessed. He avoided his steadily growing siblings at all costs, they demanded he wrestle, they demanded he play and Gabriel hated it. Yes... hate was a befitting word for the uncouth behavior his siblings displayed. Careening through the muck and grime as though they had no manners, no sense of decorum, his lip pulled up in a sneer, his dual eyed gaze narrowing. He hated filth. He hated feeling dirty. He had been observing, watching as the hunters of Valhalla swept the earth, scoring their kills, and gaining their food. This was how his mama hunted, and his father too, he was eager to try. Rump wiggling in the air, he watched with unhindered concentration as the fluffy white rabbit nibbled on a healthy looking stalk of grass, his claws flexed beneath him and suddenly...he was off. Bodice careening towards the hare who screamed and attempted to flee. It was a scramble, a mix of fur and dust and terror reigning down in the tiny clearing. So focused was he, he didn't notice the dirt, he didn't notice the filth clinging to his ebony coat. He swiped at the hare, sending it careening into the air, he lost his balance and smashed into the ground. His eyes remained trained on the hare and as it fell he would extend his neck, snapping his jaws together and crushing the creature. Blood rained down upon him and just like that the trance was broken. Blood stained his tongue and maw, it oozed down his neck and chest, drenching him in its coppery scent. His pupils would dilate, his breath coming hard, heavy and fast, every muscle, every nerve, every fiber of his being locked down and froze. For a split second there was a calmness, and then a split second later, he could feel every particle of dust that clung to his pelt, he could feel every drop of blood as it tainted him, he could feel how utterly unclean he was and every coherent thought dropped from his head like lead weights. A full blown panic attack rooting in his heart. Hyperventilating the pup would scream, legs flailing incoherently beneath him as he struggled to find his footing. The corpse of the rabbit falling forgotten to the left. Nostrils flaring, heart racing a thousand miles an hour the pup would fly, bodice careening over the terrain in a full blown flurry. Incomprehensible screams, cries, whimpers, fled his larynx in the form of broken words, as he flew like a demon possessed. He would crash into the lake, the sudden rush of water slowing his furious pace, the water would stain red and brown and his hysterics would only increase. Thrashing, careening, screaming his limbs would flail propelling his body deeper and deeper out into the lake. "Get it off!" The screech would come nearly inhumane, the rest of his babbling fits of terror were not cohesive.

THE TOE BONE'S CONNECTED TO THE

HEEL BONE

screams. there were screams. if there was one thing that life had told ezekiel, though, it was that screams meant something dying, and that lead down a chain of associations with security, decay, bones, and most of all, food.



the bearded vulture was a large, ravenous creature with a bottomless pit for a stomach. standing at nearly four feet tall at the crest and sporting a wingspan of a little over nine feet, it was no wonder that he was constantly on the search for death and despair, for these things led to life-giving sustenance. for any sort of vulture, death always brought life, and that was one thing they knew for sure about their existence.



on this particular day he knew not of who the screams belonged to, but it was endlessly easy to pinpoint the location of its vocalist. cool down-drafts ruffled his feathers momentarily before he beat his wings to keep himself in the air. it was a breeze to spot the black coat among the cool water of the lake, and without hesitation he descended with a raspy, echoing cackle, upon one of the rare, scraggly trees nearby. the branch dipped under his weight and he was set momentarily off-balance, but righted himself with a shift of his claws toward the trunk and some batting of his avian appendages. in the bouts of terror the young black wolf omitted, something along the lines of 'get it off!' rang in his ears. he clacked his beak with immense irritation, both at the pain in his audits and at the fact that his prey wasn't quite dead yet despite the fact it was covered in blood. he sent his crackling voice projecting over the water to the splashing pup.



"shut up, shut up,

you stupid little thing!

before i bat you down

with a well-placed wing!



"what did you think

would come out of the hare?

certainly not water--

life isn't that fair!



"what now, what now?

can you even swim?

ever thought of drowning--

or is that too but a whim?"



he watched as the pup stranded itself further into the lake, and with a troubled sigh he thought of how irritating it'd be to have to get his precious feathers wet in a swim to retrieve his sunken prey. he groaned irritably and with a screech burst upwards from his branch, wings pumping, and then swooped down toward the water, gliding toward the young wolf with a flap or two. the pseudo-savior would make a move to grip the thing with its massive claws once it neared, and if successful would make its way back to the shore, dropping the child from about a foot from the ground and then would return to his perch, eyeing the animal with contempt and hunger.

Gabriel

Blind and deaf to the world around him the dual eyes puppy would shriek one final time before the lack of oxygen to his tissues and his utter panic, led to his exhaustion. Something crashed in the water right next to him, and his adrenaline would burst with renewed vigor. Gabriel seemed to have enough coherency left to keep moving, albeit slowly, eyes wide, nostrils flaring, the male would somehow make it to the next reachable surface, water poured from his pelt, muscles quaking in their exhaustion and over-exertion. His pupils were blown wide and blood shot in his panic. His claws scraped the earth with desperation and the male would stumble, careening violently from side to side, his mind in utter shambles as he desperately tried to claw his way through the thick terrain, propelling his body forward. Desperation and darkness clouded the corners of his mind and the boy could hardly see, his chest heaving, his body quaking. Finally he could take no more and the ebony lad would fall, body failing him, muscles giving up, his legs would peddle, foam would erupt from ebony lips, as he desperately tried to draw breath, his body falling to minor compulsions before he would fall absolutely still, trembling in the aftermath of his desperate episode. He had no energy to move, much less move to make himself more presentable. he couldn't feel the dust anymore, he couldn't feel the blood, he was clean. His muscles screamed at him in agony and the pup moaned in agony. What in God's name had happened to him, he was light headed and he felt worse than when he had tumbled down that hill. He couldn't move, the world was spinning before his eyes and he squeezed his oculars shut, willing his body to stop hurting.

She found herself lingering at the border. She had been in process of locating various herbs, naming the ones that she knew and their uses. She hadn't spoke to Erani in some time, and the new Lead Healer was nowhere to be found. It was perplexing. Shouldn't it be different? Shouldn't there be an active healer amongst the ranks? She shook her head. Rising up on ivory stilts the dame turned away, heading deeper into Valhalla. Surely she could talk to someone about this? But who? Thoughts where interupted by a blood curlding scream. Ears flattedn against her skull at the distrubing sound. Breaking into a run she went to investigate make sure no one was hurt. Upon her arrival, she noticed two things. A strange bird at the edge of lake, screeching at a thrashing form. His movements where wild and violent, but began to grow weary. Without a second thought she plunged into the lake. The water was frigid. Legs worked desparately to get to the wolf. His black pelt nearly matched that of the lake, dual toned eyes only able to see him due to his thrashing. By the time she was close enough he had managed to get himself to shallow enough water that he could stand. Jaws parted to speak but words would fall on deaf ears as the brute collapsed, his body shaking. Eyes widened as she shot forward the remaining distance. Jaws gripped his pelt, and with a giant heave she began to pull him from the waters, onto the shore. His mouth foamed, frame still quivering. She had never been taught what do to in this situation. Tossing back her skull, she called for the only wolf she knew would know. Erani. Her call broke the eerie silence, shattering the quiet. Dropped her muzzle, she pressed her nose into his pelt. A familiar smell hit her like a wall. He was one of Erani's pups, was he not? Givng a gentle lick to forhead she began to speak him. "What is your name little one?" Lyrics fell softly, asking him simple questions first, hoping desparately that he would respond. It was winter. The chill that surrounded them was hard to ignore. The pup had grown fast. Laying down beside him, she pressed against the length of him, trying to keep him warm, though the both were wet. Eyes darted around with worry, she hoped Erani would come quickly. Gaze hesitated on the strange bird that had been lingering. He had better not cause any problems for her. "speech" thought

Erani

Erani was worried. Gabriel had wandered off. Again And it drove her mad to think what could happen to him out there. She had sent Cormalin and Obsidian out searching, and she herself was combing the edges of Valhalla for any recent traces of his scent when she heard Rayne?s voice calling from a distance away. Her name in particular. It was an urgent note, and Erani spun to charge toward it, hoping Rayne might have seen her youngest son. Erani surged toward the other healer like a wolf possessed and burst upon the scene in a matter of minutes. Gabriel?s scent assaulted her nostrils and his fear smells made her mind go blank. A deep, cavernous roar snarled from deep within her chest, uttered through bared teeth and open jaws as wild blue eyes sought an opponent. Her fur was bristled, making her look even larger than her thirty six inches of height. The blue eyes landed on Rayne, then swept up to land on the bird. That bird. She leapt to stand between her son and that perceived threat, glaring daggers and death toward the bird. ?Did that bird touch him?? Her voice was a midnight hiss, full of rage and caverns. Her question was uttered to Rayne as she kept the bird in sight.

THE TOE BONE'S CONNECTED TO THE

HEEL BONE

Ezekiel cursed quietly to himself as he missed his target, beak clacking harshly. He glided back, circling over the waters, prepared to pluck the dying thing from the water and purposely end its life with a high drop from the sky should it began to weaken again. However, before he could even advance upon his quarry, wolves began to race forth. The first called for another, and the second was a familiar face that he recognized as once having stolen prey from. He settled nearby above them in a scraggly tree, just properly out of reach from the she-wolf and the pup.



Immediately the bitch was uppity, bursting forward snarling and growling in a manner that seemed absolutely unnecessary and idiotic to Ezekiel. This single entity reminded him why he hated wolves in the first place--strength, strength, strength. All they cared about was strength. He doubted that there was a single brain cell in most of their brains that did something other than run bodily function and stupid displays of power. He cackled as his sharp, avian ears captured the question of the she-wolf, wings flapping slightly as he jostled the branch.



"Why don't you ask me,

you dried-up cow?

I'm right here and waiting,

so find out now!



"I tried to save the pup

when he jumped in the lake

but no, next time

such a grand opportunity I'll take!



"Since I'm punished for good deeds

with suspicion and hate,

next time I'll just fly 'n' drop him

and my hunger I'll sate!



"I'll rip the flesh from his bones

and eat the marrow--

no need for swallowing;

I'm not some sparrow!



"So come, so come,

you bleach-washed bitch

and ask me that question

and not some alabaster witch!"



Mischief and anger were prominent on his features, but it was highly unlikely that they could see it--avian expressions of such emotions were much different from lupine ones. He clacked his beak and ripped out the loudest screech he could manage--one that would split sensitive wolf ears to a pleasing degree while he himself was used to his own noise. Yes, he would have fun with this, and nothing would stop him. Senses alert to his surroundings, he hissed down at the pests and clacked his beak.

Gabriel

Gabriel's two toned gaze was still wild and crazed, the panic attack was slowly receding and his limbs, his joints, his muscles, his heart all burned. Twitching uncomplacently the pup reclined to his right side, muscles spasming sporadically unaccustomed to the prolonged demand of use. he was frothing a bit at the mouth and his tongue lolled from his lips in a heady pant. Soaked, suddenly freezing and absolutely terrified, his mind was slowly returning to him, his muscles tremors turning to shivers as exhaustion began to make his eyelids droop. He fought valiantly to stay awake, body slowly ceasing its thrashing and his eyes fluttering constantly. He tried to open his jaws to speak, to talk, to say something! He could hear the voices around him but he couldn't discern what they were saying, he couldn't smell and his vision was blotchy. A whine, a low keening sound erupted from his vocal cords, low and almost inaudible, it cracked and broke a strong of syllables escaping his maw in desperation. "Ma...ma....ma....ma...ma."

The sound of paws hitting the earth could be heard, slowly growing louder as they got closer. She hoped it was Erani. It didn't take long for the ivory mother to burst into the clearly. A terrible sound ripped from her jaws, making the usually calm and collected woman look terrifying. Eyes widened, ears going flat against her skull, Rayne instinctively curled up tighter around the youngster. A question was shot her way, but as jaws parted to answer, the irritating bird spoke up, speaking in strange rhymes. Attention quickly returned to the pup as he began to mumble incoherently. Listening closely, it sounded as though her was saying Mama, but it came out cracked and slowly. "Erani, I didn't see what happened. I just heard him screaming and then heard the splashing of water and dragged him out." She spoke to break the mothers fixation of the bird, directing her attention back to her son. Rayne would rise, her pelt still wet and matted as she looked to Erani for instructions. She was at a loss when it came to seizures. She could only hope that the woman would be able to save her son, and that she had found him in time. ooc- short post is short and crappy "speech" thought